The Aftermath
by SilverCloud3
Summary: Kate became worried when the bomb didn’t go off- but then she saw a flash of white light. One shot.


Lost fanfic: "The Aftermath"

Kate became worried when the bomb didn't go off- but then she saw a flash of white light.

Spoilers – up until Season 5 Episode 16/17 "The Incident"

Kate wasn't sure if she made the right choice by siding with Jack. She knew he believed in his heart his plan to save everyone would work. When he asked her if she was with him she couldn't bear to say no. She thought of Aaron and she knew that this was a way to keep him safe, and give him the life he deserved. She blinked back tears and nodded at Jack, and he dropped the bomb into the pocket of energy. She wished that everyone would be safe and nothing in Jack's plan would go wrong. She began to feel calm when suddenly everything turned into chaos within seconds. Suddenly, metallic objects were being pulled into the pocket left and right. Kate became startled and rushed to Jack's side. Jack was immediately hit in the head by something and she panicked. She tried to protect herself from the flying objects.

Sawyer, Juliet and Miles were doing the same, when suddenly Juliet got caught on metal chains and was reluctantly sucked into the pocket. Kate's mouth gaped open and she saw Sawyer's heartbreak in his face as he ran towards the pocket. She followed and saw Sawyer holding onto Juliet's hand. Kate was determined to help Sawyer pull her out so she held onto him. She screamed for Jack, hoping he would wake up to help. After her fifth scream Jack was holding onto her. Their efforts were no match for the energy- Juliet's grip from Sawyer slipped away in seconds, and she was gone.

For thirty seconds, Jack and Kate watched Sawyer sob in disbelief. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She looked at Jack, and saw a huge gash on his head from his injury. She looked at his face- he looked just as shocked as she was. He suddenly looked at her, with his sympathetic eyes, and she returned the same glance. As she was looking at Jack, she suddenly saw a white light which completely blocked her vision.

First she wondered what the light was. Then she realized she was floating. And finally she realized she did not have a body. All she could see was white and she felt movement. Then it hit her- Jack's plan had worked. They were going back to 2004, erasing the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. She remembered Sawyer's remark after Jack dropped the bomb- "This don't look like LAX." She figured he would be satisfied after this white light went away.

Then she felt her body again. She was sitting upright on a comfortable chair, and her hands were in handcuffs. Right after she regained her body, the white light disappeared. She was expecting to see the luggage belts in front of her, but what she saw she did not expect. She was looking directly into the back of an airplane seat.

It finally dawned on her that she wasn't in LAX- she was back on flight 815. She became nervous that the plane would crash any minute, and that Jack's plan had failed.

Jack. She realized he was somewhere on the plane. She looked around and found him sitting across from her on the far left. He was looking at her in bewilderment. She then realized that he remembered everything, just like she had. She thought they were not going to remember any of the last three years.

She continued to gaze around the plane. Hurley, Sawyer and Sayid looked confused; Sun and Jin were hugging each other and talking rapidly in Korean. Kate smiled, and then her eyes landed on Charlie. He seemed nonchalant, sitting in his seat like nothing happened. Kate didn't know what to think of it. She was about to look for Claire when she heard the announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen we will be landing in Los Angeles in ten minutes. Please make sure your seat belts are fastened. Thank you, and on behalf of Oceanic Airlines we hope you have enjoyed your flight."

_Ten minutes? Shouldn't it be more like eight hours? That's when we originally crashed…_

Kate's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar and menacing voice. "I hope you know you're an hour away from jail. Aren't you excited?"

Kate froze. She completely forgot about the Marshal sitting on her right. She looked at him, and he smirked at her just like she remembered. She ignored his comment and turned her head left to look for Claire.

Claire was holding her belly and staring at it. Kate then realized why Charlie and the Marshal didn't remember anything- they died on the island. Looking at Claire, she realized she did remember, which means she was never dead. Kate sighed in relief.

She looked back at Jack, who was also looking at Claire. She wondered how he felt, knowing he fixed everything, and knowing that he was giving his half sister and her baby a second chance.

Aaron! It now finally registered in Kate's mind that he doesn't exist right now. She missed him so much, and now she knows that she'll never see him again, even though his unborn body is a few rows away from her.

----

The Marshal led Kate off the plane, and when they reached the gate she saw everyone from the island standing together and talking. Shannon and Boone passed them by, and Locke rolled by in his wheelchair. Jack was about to approach Kate when he realized she was now a fugitive. She mouthed "Help me!" to him and he immediately turned to Sawyer and Sayid and began talking.

Kate and the Marshal moved away from the group and her eyes landed on Michael and Walt. They were arguing.

"What's going on dad? Why aren't we in New York?"

"What are you talking about? We didn't get to New York yet."

"Yes we did. Then you went back to the island."

"What island?"

"The one we crashed on, remember when we were going to LA?"

"We're in LA man! The plane didn't crash! What the hell are you talking about Walt?"

Walt looked around and his eyes fell on Kate. "Don't you remember?"

"Yes," she whispered, her heart aching for him.

"Who the hell are you? Why does my son know you?" Michael shouted at her.

She looked at Walt, and continued walking.

----

Kate and the Marshal neared the exit of the airport, when Kate felt thudding feet behind her. Suddenly Jack was in front of them, talking to the Marshal.

"Please sir, if I could have a word with her," Jack half pleaded, half commanded, while pointing at Kate.

Before the Marshal could answer, Jack looked at Kate. By now Kate had noticed that Sayid and Sawyer were right behind Jack. Their eyes were on the Marshal, as if they were going to jump him to get him away from Kate. She didn't want that to happen, because then they would all be in trouble, and she would still be in her cuffs.

"It's okay Jack…"

"No it's not okay. We didn't change everything just to have you go to jail."

"Yes you did Jack. You knew it would go back to this, you knew what my fate was going to be. Why did you think I was against it at first? But then I became selfless like you and agreed to help you do it. And here we are."

The Marshal was annoyed and pulled Kate away from them.

"The trial! We'll get you another one just like it! Don't worry Kate! I love you!"

Kate looked back at Jack as he shouted to her, and she couldn't help but smile at his effort to rescue her, and weep at the fact that the trial will probably never happen.

"Walt! Go talk to Walt!"

The Marshal yanked Kate's arm to stop her from yelling, and her face was very close to his.

"What the hell are you doing talking to strangers? As crazy as you are, I don't want those lunatics back there talking to you anymore, understand?"

She looked into his menacing face, remembering his slow and painful death, and she wondered why she had ever been so caring to him on the island.

She looked back at Jack for one second before the Marshal yanked her again, and she saw him standing in the same spot, crying as he watched her being dragged away by the man who's life he so desperately tried to save. Sawyer and Sayid were running back towards Walt to Kate's satisfaction, and right after the Marshal pulled her head to face forward, one thought was etched in her mind.

_Did we do the right thing?_


End file.
